The Justice Division has reached an settlement with President Donald Trump’s former nationwide safety adviser Michael Flynn to pay him roughly $1.2 million to settle a lawsuit introduced by the previous common claiming he was politically focused for prosecution throughout Trump’s first administration, sources acquainted with the matter inform ABC Information.
The settlement is effectively under the $50 million in damages Flynn initially sought when he first filed the lawsuit in 2023, however will nonetheless possible gasoline questions as as to if Flynn acquired a positive end result as a result of his continued vocal assist for President Trump.
A federal decide had beforehand thrown out Flynn’s lawsuit in 2024 following a movement to dismiss the go well with filed by the Justice Division in the course of the Biden administration, after ruling that Flynn had failed to satisfy important components exhibiting he was a sufferer of malicious prosecution. However Flynn’s attorneys sought to revive their case after President Trump returned to workplace, and the division disclosed in a submitting final yr that it had been engaged in settlement talks together with his authorized workforce.
A Justice Division spokesperson, in an announcement concerning the settlement, mentioned, “Those that instigated the Russia Collusion Hoax and Crossfire Hurricane abused their energy to mislead the American folks and tarnish the reputations of President Trump and his supporters. Right this moment’s settlement, secured by this Justice Division, is a vital step in redressing that historic injustice.”
Attorneys for Flynn didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark from ABC Information on the settlement quantity.
Flynn beforehand pleaded guilty to costs introduced by former particular counsel Robert Mueller for mendacity to FBI brokers throughout a January 2017 interview within the White Home about his contacts with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
The Trump Justice Division below former Lawyer Basic William Barr then moved to drop the case in 2020, in a submitting that sharply criticized the FBI’s conduct in investigating Flynn and argued that the case towards him ought to by no means have been introduced.
Former Nationwide Safety Advisor Michael Flynn appears to be like on earlier than President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the Justice Division, March 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Pictures
The transfer confronted some pushback from a Washington, D.C., federal decide who had questioned the division’s motives in dropping the prosecution, and President Trump later issued a full pardon for Flynn within the wake of his 2020 election loss.
Since his ouster in the course of the first Trump administration, Flynn has retained shut connections with Trump’s internal circle whereas pushing a spread of conspiracy theories to his substantial variety of followers on social media.
In response to info gathered by the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol assault, Flynn was amongst plenty of advisers who urged Trump to grab voting machines after the 2020 election and mentioned in media appearances that Trump ought to use the army to “principally rerun” elections in states that he had misplaced.
